To Be The Very Best
by ChestnutKey
Summary: After moving from the Johto region, Sapphire makes a bet with her friend Gold that she is the superior trainer. Follow her journey as she battles her way up to the top of the Hoenn League and makes friends along the way. This is based off my nuzlocke of Omega Ruby with added plot points and characters.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey, everyone! This fanfiction is based on my nuzlocke of Omega Ruby. As I have already written over 10 chapters, I can guarantee that I will continue updating this adventure.**

 **Rules to a Nuzlocke:  
*You may only capture the first pokemon you run into in each area.**

 ***If a pokemon faints, it is dead (or abandoned)**

 **You may notice that I named several of my characters after the pokemon games. They aren't the same as the manga characters, so enjoy them as their own.**

 **Disclaimer: I am not a member of Nintendo or the Pokemon team. I also am not the creator of Pokemon Hard Mode (otherwise known as Nuzlocke).**

* * *

 **To Be The Very Best**

 **Chapter 1**

Life in Johto was easy. I grew up there, so that's where all my friends are. My best friend is this guy named Gold and we're from this really small town called Newbark. We have a pokemon lab there, so a lot of the neighbors are nerdy types. The professor in charge of it lectures at Pokemon Academy in Viridian City in the Kanto region to fund his research. You'd think that would be too far away to commute, but Newbark Town is right on the border between Johto and Kanto. Besides, he just takes his Pidgeot and flies straight from his lab. Gold and I used to sneak into Professor Elm's lab when he was gone and play with the pokemon. I had my eyes on this Cyndaquil that the professor was going to give to a new trainer, but Gold had his eyes on it too. We used to argue for hours about who got to keep it once our adventures started. I guess Gold will be getting his hands on it, now.

I suppose it's alright that I'm moving, anyways. It's not like Gold and I would have travelled together. We both agreed that our adventures were a time to spend with our pokemon. Both of us had the same dream of becoming the strongest trainers in all of Johto and friendships would be a distraction on that quest. It had to be done alone.

My parents made me sit in one of the moving vans. This one had all of our important documents, so they were paranoid that one of the moving Machokes would lose them if I wasn't watching. After I finished reading the beginning trainer pamphlet I pulled out my pokenav to add the final touches to my trainer application. The last page was pretty standard.

"Are you a boy or a girl?" Girl.

"What is your name?" Sapphire.

I'm moving to Littleroot Town, which also happens to have a pokemon lab. That means I'll be getting a rare, specially bred pokemon as my starter. That is, as long as my dad didn't already catch one for me. He's been in Hoenn much longer than my mom and I as a gym leader. My mom really missed him over the past few months, so when it came time for me to start my journey she took it as an opportunity to move back in with him. Sometimes I'm mad at my dad for getting a job all the way in Hoenn, but at the same time I get it. He's always wanted to run his own gym. He was so excited when the job was offered that he accepted it without even thinking.

I felt the truck lurch to a stop and just as I grabbed my Azurill doll, my mom came and opened the truck for me to come out. "Well, this is Littleroot Town," she said with a soft smile. She seemed wary, but only from the unfamiliar surroundings. She mostly seemed excited. I wished I was as happy as her. "And you get your own room this time, Sapphire!" she said, trying to cheer me up. "Come on, let's have a look inside."

We entered this tiny cottage with two floors. Two Machokes from the van were pulling boxes into the house and unpacking them. Sometimes I couldn't even believe they were pokemon. They seemed so sure of themselves, and they looked humanoid too. One in the kitchen came out and stomped towards me. "Machaa!" He grabbed my Azurill doll with his big blue hands and placed it delicately on a shelf.

"Th-thanks," I told him nervously. The Machokes left and I noticed the TV at the kitchen table. Immediately I turned it on, hoping the cable had been set up.

"It's the Petalburg Gym! Maybe Dad will be on TV," my mom exclaimed. I jumped in my seat and turned up the volume, but then the TV went to commercial. "Oh… It's already ended." She frowned and then gave me a look. "You shouldn't be watching TV this early anyways, young lady. You need to make some friends."

"Friends?" I asked. "But I'm about to leave for my journey anyways."

Mom crossed her arms. "Professor Birch is good friends with your dad, and he has a son that's your age. You should go over and introduce yourself."

I frowned and walked outside to meet the neighbors. Thankfully the Birch family lived right next door so I didn't have to walk far. Mrs. Birch let me in with an elated grin and shuffled me up the stairs. I opened the door to a large room and saw a boy with brown hair and a floppy white hat. He was shuffling through some papers on his desk, but he immediately jumped up when I entered the room. "Y-you… You must be Sapphire!" Suddenly he frowned. "Huh. I didn't think you'd be a girl. Dad told me you were the kid of a Gym Leader, and so I sort of hoped you'd be a guy."

I felt a sinking feeling in my stomach. "Gym Leaders don't just have boy kids, you know," I shot back, "and I hoped you'd be a girl, so we're even."

The boy laughed in an embarrassed manner. "Oh no! I didn't mean it like that, Saph. Can I call you Saph?" I shook my head no. "I'm going to call you Saph. My name's Brendan. Let's be friends, okay?"

I crossed my arms and smirked. "If you get to call me what you want, I get to call you what I want."

"And what's that?" he asked.

I scratched my head. "Since I wanted you to be a girl, you can be Ruby. It seems fitting."

"Hey!" he gasped and pushed my shoulder playfully. "Wait, crap! I was supposed to help my dad catch some wild pokemon. See ya later, Saph!"

"See you later, Ruby!" I called after him. As I left his house I looked up at the end of the neighborhood where I saw a sign that pointed to Route 101. That was probably where the boy had disappeared off to. I looked around and didn't see anything interesting other than the lab. If I went home my mom would probably make me do chores or something. I was interested in the lab, but mainly just to get my first pokemon, and Professor Birch wasn't there at the moment. I looked back up at the sign to Route 101 and shrugged. It was just a little grass and some trees in between towns. What's the worst that could happen?

I ran past the sign and left my small town behind. I grinned wide as I felt the breeze rush through my shoulder length brown hair. I adjusted the red bow in my hair so it wouldn't fly off and took another look at Littleroot Town. Yup. Still no urge to turn back.

"Help!" A jolt ran through me and my body shook. Two steps out of my new town and I was already running into danger? What kind of region was this? I ran towards the deep voice and saw a little gray dog chasing a man in a lab coat. He spotted me and his eyes glistened with hope. "Halloo! You over there! Please, help me out. There are pokeballs in my bag," he shouted breathlessly.

I saw a brown pack next under a small ledge and unlatched the top. Three pokeballs sat wedged in between a few notepads. I didn't know what pokemon they were, so I grabbed the center ball and hoped it was something good. "Go, pokeball!" I shouted, like I'd seen Kanto and Johto Elite Four member Lorelei do on TV. A big-headed orange chicken zapped out of the pokeball and tweeted. "Use Ember!" I shouted, hoping by the coloring that it was a fire type. The pokemon opened its little beak and a flame erupted from it. The little bird scorched the dog, and it ran away yelping.

Professor Birch wiped the sweat off his brow and breathed heavily. "Thank goodness for that!" he exclaimed. "I went into the tall grass to survey wild pokemon when I was suddenly jumped." He smiled, and an expression of realization came over him. "Hey, you're Norman's girl, aren't you?" I nodded. "Come to my lab. I have something for you." He scooped up his pack and I followed him back to Littleroot.

The lab was very cluttered. There were some strange machines placed about it, but I couldn't even guess what they did. One of the assistant scientists took notes while watching one of the machines. I followed Professor Birch to the end of the room and he turned around. "You don't have any pokemon of your own, do you?" I shook my head. "Ah, with such battle skills you wouldn't even know! I received an email of your trainer application, and I am happy to say that I am willing to fast track the process. You fought really well with that Torchic. Would you like to keep him for yourself?"

I looked down at the little guy. He parted his yellow beak and flapped his tiny feathered wings. I grinned. "Yeah, he's pretty cute." I bent down to the Torchic's level and pet his soft head. "So you're a fire type, huh?" The Torchic tweeted happily in response. "I think the name Apollo suits you."

"My boy Brendan happens to be out on Route 103 right now surveying pokemon for me. You should go meet with him. He can help teach you what it means to be a trainer." I made sure not to roll my eyes at him. My whole life I'd been watching videos and reading books about pokemon battles. Could it really be that difficult to figure out?

I took out Apollo's pokeball to return him, but then I thought better of it. I was so amazed at this weird disproportionate chicken that I couldn't help but continue to stare at it. "Hop on, Apollo!" I reached my arm out and the little guy crawled up to my shoulder. He was a little heavy, but easy enough to adjust to. "Thanks, Professor. I hope I see you again soon." I left and then headed back into Route 101, this time with a trusty pokemon to protect me.

About halfway to the other town, Apollo's top feather perked up and he jumped off my shoulder. He quietly stuck his beak in between some bushes, and suddenly a lumpy red caterpillar with a white underbelly popped out of the bush and landed on Apollo's head. "Tochi!" the bird exclaimed as he shook his head clean of it. I checked my pokedex—a going away present from Professor Elm—and a picture of the caterpillar appeared on the screen.

"A Wurmple, huh?" I said. "Apollo, use Ember!" Apollo shot a beam of fire from his mouth, and the caterpillar immediately scurried away. "Serves him right for jumping on you," I said as I crossed my arms triumphantly. At the same time I sort of wished I had a pokeball. I knew Caterpies back at home eventually grew into beautiful butterflies. I wondered what this Wurmple could become.

I ended up rushing through the next town and on to Route 103. Apollo didn't even break a sweat from that Wurmple from before, and the PokeMart had a sign on the window that read _Pokeballs SOLD OUT_ , so that was a bust. Apollo and I conquered another Poochyena like the one that had attacked Professor Birch in the next route, and I was a little sad I couldn't catch the little guy. That dog in particular was pretty cute.

I found Ruby sitting in a patch of grass at the end of the route staring at a puddle of water with a notepad in his hands. I tried to sneak up on him, but he turned around so quickly that he scared me instead. "Saph?" he said in a surprised manner. "So you finally got a pokemon from my dad? How about a little battle?"

I grinned. "Wow, you're pretty in to this whole pokemon adventure and conquest thing, huh?" I hadn't run into much others like Gold and I. A lot of trainers liked their pokemon, but not many held the same passion as us. "Bring it on!"

"Alright!" Ruby pumped his fist into the air and then sent out a blue amphibian with orange stars around its cheeks. "Go, Mudkip!"

"So that's a water pokemon, right?" I observed. "Apollo, use Scratch!" The fire bird flapped his petite wings and ran towards Mudkip as fast as his little legs could carry him. Mudkip looked around as if he didn't know what to do, and Apollo jumped up to scratch him along the face with his feet. I winced. That looked like it would hurt. Thankfully pokemon had a lot tougher skin than humans.

A determined look flashed in Ruby's eyes. "Counteract with a tackle!" Mudkip dodged the next swipe and then launched himself on top of Apollo. The two tussled for a few minutes, but eventually Apollo stood triumph and stuck his little claw over Mudkip's head proudly. Ruby took out his pokeball and a red beam shot from it to absorb Mudkip. To my surprise, instead of an expression of crushing defeat, he grinned at me. "You're not too shabby, Saph. Oh, and Apollo's a pretty nice name." He lifted his hand and brushed it against Apollo's feathered cheek. Ruby reached into his pack and allowed Apollo to drink from a purple canister he had. "It's a low grade potion," he explained. "I like to keep them around for my pokemon after battles." I watched in awe as Apollo's injuries melted away. "So where are you off to? Starting your journey already?"

I nodded. "I'm not really sure where to go next, but I'm ready."

Ruby smiled. "I'm going to Petalburg City next. You should come with me." I looked away uncomfortably. He crossed his arms. "Oh, you're one of _those_ trainers aren't you?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked.

"You think friends are a distraction from battling." He smirked, knowing he was right. "I think you're wrong, but I won't push it. I guess I'll just be seeing you around."

"Yeah," I replied. "Sorry about that."

"No problem. I get it," Ruby said. "Here, take some pokeballs for the journey. I can't wait until our next battle." He handed me a handful of shrunken pokeballs to fill my pouch with. "See ya!" He wandered off back towards Oldale Town and I followed behind.

It was getting pretty dark, so I made camp in the Pokemon Center. They had plenty of hotel beds in the basement floor so Apollo and I were able to get a good night's sleep. Before we did, though, I had to video chat my good friend. I missed Gold, and I wished it was him I'd be running into every so often instead of Ruby.

"Heyyyyy! Guess who's with me!" a familiar voice chimed in a poorly lit camera. Gold laughed as he tilted the screen towards his new partner.

"No fair!" I shouted. "You got the Cyndaquil?" Apollo looked up at me, offended. I smiled guiltily and pat Apollo's head. "Not nearly as cool as my new Torchic, of course." Apollo straightened up next to me, happier at his new introduction.

"Yeah, you wish. Cyndaquil's the bomb. He's been lighting up every pokemon in our path," Gold bragged.

"Same with Apollo," I said as I stroked my new pet. "I bet I'm a better trainer than you. I haven't lost a single battle, even with other experienced trainers." 'Experienced' might have been a stretch when referring to Ruby, but I needed to look good against the competition, didn't I?

Gold snorted at me. "Nah. Any win is due to the awesome power of fire type when it comes to you. I, on the other hand, am the best trainer."

I frowned. "Come on! That's no fair."

He shrugged. "Prove it, then. Do something that only a skilled trainer could do."

I sighed. "I don't know. How do I prove it?"

Gold thought for a minute and put a finger to his lips. "Hmm. I'd say," he said thoughtfully, "I'd say that you need to be able to make due with whatever the wild throws at you."

I raised an eyebrow. "What does that even mean?" I asked.

"I challenge you to only capture the first pokemon you run in to in each route. No do overs if it escapes, and no do overs if it's the same type as another one you have. Sound good?"

"Are you serious?" I asked. Gold's expression didn't change. He continued to stare at me with those dark demanding eyes. "Oh my God. You're actually serious."

"Of course I'm serious! I'll do it, too."

I laughed and put a hand to my head. "Okay, I'll do it. Now this is going to be interesting."

"After we each beat the Elite Four of our regions we'll meet up and battle again. Whoever wins is the superior trainer."

"You're on!" I exclaimed. I signed off and lied down in my bed, with nothing to do but to stare at the ceiling. I wondered if Gold would actually hold me to his challenge or not. Knowing him, he'd challenge himself tenfold. I'd have to make it harder for myself. I needed to be able to impress him. I rolled over to face Apollo. "How about this," I whispered to him. "Any pokemon that loses a battle is done for." Apollo chirped. He didn't like it. "No, don't worry," I assured him. "You're strong. It won't happen to you. But a weak pokemon isn't worth my time, anyways." Apollo chirped again in protest, but I ignored it. I turned out the lights and went to bed.


	2. Chapter 2

**I couldn't wait to post the next chapter. I love playing my nuzlocke too much to not keep writing chapters. Happy Thanksgiving! :)**

 **Disclaimer: Although I can speak Japanese, no I am not Satoshi Tajiri (the creator of pokemon).**

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 **To Be The Very Best**

 **Chapter 2**

I woke up bright and early the next morning, ready for my journey to start. On my pokenav I found a dozen worried texts from my mom, which I guiltily deleted. Oops, I forgot to tell her I'd started my journey. I texted her that I was safe, and I hoped she could forgive me. Apollo jumped on my shoulder and I left the Pokemon Center for Route 102.

As soon as I stepped back into the grass, I grinned. _Today I'm catching my first pokemon!_ I noticed a raccoon-like creature rustling in a bush nearby me, so I tip toed my way over. "Apollo, jump her," I whispered. Apollo nodded and leapt off my shoulder. He scratched the pokemon with his feet, and it immediately responded with a shake of the tail and a growl. "Go, pokeball!" I shouted. The ball expanded in air to engulf the Zigzagoon. I watched tensely as the red and white ball shook. Eventually it stopped moving, and I breathed a huge sigh of relief. Then I grabbed the pokeball and let my new friend out so I could introduce myself. "I'm Sapphire," I said happily as I scratched her behind her ear. "It's nice to meet you."

"Zagoo!" the Zigzagoon replied.

I smiled. "I'll call you Bandit. How do you like that?" Bandit licked my hand, so I took that as a yes. Bandit didn't know any attack moves at first, so it took quite a bit of training before she learned Headbutt. I liked her, though. Whenever I let her out, she'd immediately start sniffing around until she found me an item. She dug up so many discarded potions.

When I got through the route, I found myself in Petalburg City. I ran to the gym, knowing my dad would be there. "Sapphire!" He spotted me over the shoulder of some young boy he was talking to. "It's so good to see you." He was a short man with graying black hair. I ran up and hugged him. "Ah, and I see Professor Birch set you up with a Torchic." He pat Apollo's round head.

I nodded. "Yeah, and I caught a Zigzagoon, too." I showed him my pokeball as proof.

He smiled kindly at me and gestured towards the boy he was with. "This here is Wally. He's heading all the way to Verdanturf Town and needs a pokemon to accompany him on his journey. I'd give him one of my pokemon, but that just doesn't seem right. Can you help him catch his own?"

I looked at the boy with hesitation. His hair was a weird brown green color and he seemed deathly pale. His clothes were far too big of a size, making him appear sloppy and awkward. "Yeah," I said. "I could."

Wally and I walked back to Route 102 and found a nice patch of grass to search in. I sent Bandit out to help sniff around. Soon enough, a Ralts lifted the raccoon up with its psychic powers. "Bandit!" I exclaimed. "Use Headbutt!" Bandit struggled with her legs and wriggled out of the Ralts's grasp. She bonked her head against the wild pokemon, which caused it to falter backwards. "Here," I handed Wally a pokeball. "Throw this now."

"Go, pokeball!" Wally weakly chucked the ball at the Ralts. It knocked against it and then engulfed the psychic pokemon. We both stared intently as the pokeball shook. Then suddenly, it stopped.

"Congratulations!" I said. I returned Bandit to her pokeball. "You are now the proud owner of a Ralts. Now go be on your way."

"Thank you, Sapphire!" He ran off back towards Petalburg City and I shrugged.

I went back to the gym to see my dad. "Wally ran up to me to show off his new pokemon. He's off showing his folks right now," my dad said. "Thank you for helping him out. He's so excited."

"Yeah, no problem. Why couldn't he just get one from Professor Birch?" I asked.

My dad put a hand on my shoulder. "Not just anyone gets to keep a pokemon from a pokemon professor. Hundreds of new trainers apply for one of Professor Birch's specially bred starter pokemon, but only a few get to keep one. They are rare pokemon, after all."

I looked at Apollo and scratched his cheek. "Yeah, they are pretty special."

"I'm so sorry I have to go already, but I'm so busy with running the gym. Please stop buy again soon. I can't wait until you're the one who comes through the doors to challenge me."

"Thanks, Dad."

After taking a rest with my pokemon at the Pokemon Center, I headed to Route 104 and caught myself a Wingull. He's a water type seagull with blue stripes on his wings, so I named him Squirt.

Over the ledge where I found Squirt, I saw a young boy jogging around in a circle. It was a nice beach area with a beautiful ocean view. "Hey, what are you doing?" I shouted.

The boy stopped in his tracks and looked up at me. "Leaving footprints in the sand is so fun! Want to battle?"

"Of course!" I hopped down the ledge and he threw out a Seedot. I decided to play to my advantage and send out Apollo, who quickly crushed his opponent with an easy Ember.

Next the boy sent out a bird pokemon called Taillow. I released Squirt, thinking it'd be cool to see a bird to bird fight. "Squirt, use water gun!"

"Pwakoo!" The Wingull opened his long orange black tipped beak and a jet of water sprayed from his. Taillow was barely fazed. He simply shook his dark blue wings and scattered bitter water droplets everywhere.

"Taillow, use Peck!" the boy shouted. Taillow flew towards Squirt and nailed him in the head with his wide yellow beak. Squirt squawked in pain. I didn't want to see him suffer a defeat in his first battle, so I returned him and released Bandit. Bandit head butted Taillow and the battle was over. "Hey, that's no fair!" he pouted. "I got sand in my runners. That's why I lost. I was distracted." He paid me money for winnings and then ran away crying.

I shrugged and then looked at Apollo. "Losers weepers." He pecked me affectionately in response.

"Tochi?" Apollo flapped his yellow wings and I followed his gaze across the beach. An old log cabin hid in the distance beside a long wooden dock. My bird hopped off my shoulder and chased after the seaside home while I followed slowly behind along the ocean shore with my hands in my pockets. A flock of Wingull passed above me in a singular chevron pattern, so I released Squirt to extend his wings and join them. Eventually I reached the cabin and rested a hand on its dilapidated siding. I pressed a hand against the door and it creaked open.

"Hello?" I called. No one answered, so I entered thinking it was abandoned. Apollo chirped and followed me inside as Squirt swooped down to join us. "Wow, it's actually kind of nice in here." Despite the rusty exterior, the cottage was modestly decorated with well-preserved furniture. Blue seat cushions sat upon tan tatami mats with a hand-made wooden table in the middle. Above a cabinet hung a blue frame with an old man and a Wingull on his shoulder. Squirt perched himself on my own and squawked in my ear. "Yeah, you're right. We should probably leave." I returned Squirt to his pokeball and carried Apollo out.

I entered the nearby Petalburg Woods with a bit of hesitation at first, but after crushing a bug catcher with Squirt's newly acquired Wing Attack I regained some confidence. The grass was a lot taller so I was much more aware of my surroundings than usual. At every rustle or sound, I jumped and sent Apollo sprawling through the air, but more often than not the disturbing sounds of the forest was made up of wind and crunching leaves. Soon enough, I ran into a Shroomish and I sent out my newest bird to help capture him.

Squirt used Supersonic and confused the speckled creature, easily weakening the wild pokemon. I threw a pokeball at the petaled animal and it barely protested. When I released the little flower bud out of his pokeball, I looked at him closely to figure out a name. He was a yellow with green spots and little green feet. His expression was blank, almost angry. Maybe he was mad about being caught? No, he was too easy to catch for that to be true. Maybe that's just what his face looked like. "I'm Sapphire. Do you have any ideas of what I should call you?" The Shroomish did not change expression. He just stared at me. "Glare it is." I returned him to his ball.

As I wandered through Petalburg Woods, I noticed a scientist shuffling through the bushes. "Oh, have you seen any Shroomish? I really love that pokemon," he said when he saw me, but before I could even take out my pokeball to show off Glare, a man dressed in all red and a hood interrupted us.

"I was going to ambush you, but you had to dawdle in Petalburg Woods forever, didn't you?" the man said under the shade of his hood. "I got sick of waiting, so here I am! Hand over those papers." He reached a hand out toward the scientist, who quickly scurried behind me.

"You're a pokemon trainer, aren't you? You've got to help me, please!"

The man grinned. "What? A child? This'll be easy. Take care of them, Poochyena!"

"Apollo, destroy him!" Apollo shot flames at the dog, who yelped. After it tackled Apollo, it was struck back with a peck and the Poochyena fainted from exhaustion.

The man in red growled and returned his Poochyena. "You haven't seen the last of Team Magma! Just you wait." He hurried off towards Rustboro City.

The scientist exhaled a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness! I thought I was a goner."

I smiled. "Really, it's nothing."

He shook his head. "No, really I am so grateful of you. Here, let me restore your pokemon." I released my four pokemon and he poured full restore potions in each of their mouths. "Also, take this. It's an experience point share. When you battle, the feeling will be shared to the pokemon even in their pokeballs. They'll remember the battle even though they weren't participating and learn from the active pokemon's mistakes." He handed me a device to attach to my pokeballs.

"Wow!" I gasped. "I don't even know what to say."

"Then don't say anything at all," the scientist replied. "I need to get back to my office. I have a bad feeling about that Magma grunt." He hurried off to Rustboro City. Though he didn't ask, I followed him back to the city to make sure he was okay.

Rustboro City was a modern looking town with several apartments and scattered throughout the area. Lampposts were lit on every street corner and although it was beginning to get dark, many people were still out and about. As I followed the scientist back to his place of work, I walked passed a Pokemon School. I began to wonder if Professor Elm had lectured there before, but then I stopped myself. The Hoenn region would be too far away from Johto for that. I didn't want to get homesick.

The man in the lab coat I'd saved led me to a large corporate building at the edge of the city. A sign that read " _The Devon Corporation: For all your living needs, we make it all_ " hung on the boxy gates. The man jogged inside, but when I went to follow him, the doors were locked securely. "He should be safe now," I told Apollo. I checked my watch, feeling tired. It was just as well. It was late.

I checked out a room in the Pokemon Center that night. It had been a long day, but I couldn't wait for the next one.


	3. Chapter 3

**Enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: Yeah, I may have stolen the Kanto trainer's outfit from FireRed and LeafGreen.**

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 **To Be The Very Best**

 **Chapter 3**

I woke up early the next morning to pounding against my wall. "Hey!" I shouted as I pounded back. "Keep it down!" I covered my ears with my pillow and frowned at Apollo. What was going on? I tried to go back to sleep, but that was impossible. The noise was too loud. Eventually I couldn't take it anymore and got up out of my suite and started banging at my hall mate's door.

A girl my age with a light blue shirt and a red skirt answered the door. She was very pretty, which made her unlikable. "Hello?" She looked tired, too. A small brown fox pokemon crept up behind her and poked its head out. "Do you need something?" I glared at her. She was talking as if _I_ was the problem.

I crossed my arms. "I was trying to sleep and you woke me up with all your racket. Do you mind?"

"Vulpix." I stared at the pokemon. It was kind of cute.

The girl yawned and scratched her arm. "Excuse me, who are you?" The question could have been polite, but her tone of voice suggested otherwise. I decided I was wrong and she actually wasn't pretty. Her eyes were too far apart, anyways.

"Your next door neighbor," I responded through gritted teeth. "Keep it down."

"Tochi!" Apollo agreed.

The girl rolled her eyes. "If you must know, I'm battling Roxanne today. I traveled all the way from Kanto for this. I'm not missing my chance at the Hoenn League Championship just for your convenience.

I put my hands on my hips. "Whoever this Roxanne person is, I don't care. Don't bang on my wall with your Vulpix.

The girl sneered. "If you were a trainer you would understand."

"I am a trainer!" I exclaimed.

"Oh?" she responded. "How many badges do you have?" She could've been interested. She was probably just making a point. I didn't respond. "That's what I thought. None. Now go back to your little pokemon contests or whatever you do. I'm going to battle a gym leader today." She shut the door in my face and Apollo squawked.

"Come on Apollo," I whispered. "If there's a gym badge in this town, I'm winning it. I need to show her who's the real Hoenn League champion."

After rushing to get ready, I ran to the nearby grass route outside Rustboro City to train my pokemon. Very quickly, I noticed large gray bug with four long legs crawling up a tree. "Go! Glare!" My flower bud popped out of his pokeball and blankly stared at the wild Nincada. "Use Stun Spore!" Glare shook his tiny petals and a gust of yellow powder shot from his head. Caught in the breeze, the Nincada stiffly fell onto the ground and I threw my pokeball at her. A few seconds passed and the ball stopped shaking. "Alright!" I exclaimed. I returned Glare and collected my pokeball from under the tree. I released my Nincada to introduce myself. I noticed tiny translucent wings on her beetle-like back, so I decided to name her Flutter.

"Taroo!" Suddenly a large Taillow swooped in and grabbed my new Nincada by the leg. Flutter tweeted desperately as she was carried away, and I had no choice but to chase after her. What was good against flying types, again? What was bad against it? My mind went blank. All those years of Trainer School and intensive battle videos I'd watched gone to waste.

Barely able to keep up with it, I released Squirt to pull the Taillow down back towards me. "Squirt, use Wing Attack!" The white bird shot past me and slashed the Taillow right across the face. The blue bird squawked and dropped Flutter. I used her pokeball to return her before she reached the ground. "Stay safe, Flutter," I murmured.

Before I could give Squirt another command, the Taillow angrily shot towards Squirt and pecked his cheek. Squirt came barreling towards me and slammed against the ground. "Peekoo!" The Wingull shivered and flapped his wings. Mud dripped from his feathers and he readjusted himself for more battle, but I could tell he had enough.

"Squirt, return!" Squirt was transformed into a bright red light, and then I felt his weight form in the ball. I grabbed another pokeball. "Go, Glare!" I couldn't quite remember, but I was pretty sure grass wasn't a good type to have out against a flying one. I just had to make one quick play. "Quick, use Leech Seed!" Vines shot up from the earth and attached themselves to the wild Taillow. Although it could still make attacks, Glare could sap its energy. I returned Glare and released Bandit. "Bandit, finish him off with Headbutt!" The Zigzagoon charged at the Taillow and slammed his head. The bird weakly gasped in defeat and I pumped a fist in the air. "Awesome job!" I returned Bandit to her ball and untangled the wild Taillow from the vines. "My pokemon aren't your lunch, okay?" I said. The bird nodded and flew away, hopefully to find some berries instead.

I looked to my shoulder at Apollo and grinned. I could tell that pokemon was much stronger than the average wild pokemon in this route. "Now that was a battle," I said. "I think it's time we fight Roxanne."

I returned to Rustboro City to heal my pokemon, and then followed the city path to the gym. It was similar to my dad's gym with white brick and an orange roof. I found a sign outside that read, " _Rustboro City Pokemon Gym. Leader: Roxanne, the rock-loving honor student!_ " I was surprised. She was a student? I had assumed most gym leaders would be older like my dad.

When I entered the building I gasped. Instead of the plain interior I had been expecting, a massive maze of rocks spread across the room. Rare fossils were on display in glass cases, and giant statues of ancient pokemon hung from the walls. A boy stood at the foot of the maze, waiting for me with a smirk.

"This is amazing!" I exclaimed to him, still ogling the wonders around me.

The boy readjusted his blue cap. "It doesn't even compare to rock-type's terrifying power. Just you wait. You won't even make it to Roxanne."

"What, are you going to battle me?" I asked. He looked pretty young. He was probably in middle school.

The boy blushed and looked down at his feet. "Roxanne says I'm not ready yet to fight in her gym." He looked back up at me, determined. "But she's wrong! I am ready." He pulled a pokeball out of his pocket, but before he could release it a shrill voice cut him off.

"Pyro! What do you think you're doing?" A tall girl with dark brunette pigtails and a school uniform jumped down a ledge. She gave the boy a death glare, and then looked back at me sweetly. "Hi, I'm Roxanne. Sorry about that. Usually I have the rest of the rock club help me run the gym, but there was a huge conference about mega stones today. My little brother came to keep me company while everyone else is out, but he insists on challenging everyone first."

Pyro frowned. "You know I'm ready."

Roxanne rolled her eyes. "You're twelve." She looked back at me. "I started the rock club when I was a freshman. My friends and I love everything about geology, and we fight with rock and ground type pokemon. The school let us use their museum to meet. Last year Rustboro petitioned to start a gym for the Pokemon League and I was nominated as the leader. Ever since then I've been the youngest gym leader in Hoenn."

"That's amazing," I said. "You're barely older than me."

Roxanne smiled. "Usually the other members battle off my opponents before they get to me, but today is the exception. Are you ready to fight?"

I pulled a pokeball from my pack. "It's on!"

"Go, Geodude!" A circular rock with muscular arms erupted from Roxanne's pokeball. I recognized him as a pokemon native to Johto, as well.

"Go, Squirt!" I released my Wingull into the fight. Squirt squawked a battle cry upon sight of the Geodude. "Take him down with a strong Water Gun!" I shouted. Squirt opened his beak and sprayed the rock.

"Brace yourself, Geodude," Roxanne said. Geodude tensed and wrapped its arms around its body to minimize its surface area. "Hit it back with Rock Tomb!" Geodude punched the ground consecutively, and part of the stone ceiling broke off.

"Watch out!" I shouted, but I was too late. A rock landed directly on Squirt's head and he squawked in pain. "Get him back with another Water Gun!" Squirt opened his beak to spray Geodude with more water. The Geodude growled and fell to the ground, unable to continue.

Roxanne returned her Geodude. "Nice job. Exploiting your opponent's weaknesses is a sure way to victory. We'll see if your strategy still works against my Nosepass." A clean-cut silver stone with dark eyes and a large triangular red nose appeared from Roxanne's pokeball. That thing was intimidating.

I returned Squirt and looked at my remaining pokeballs. "Alright. You've got this, Glare!" My Shroomish tweeted on apparition and glared at his opponent. "Use Mega Drain!" Vines grew from under Nosepass and gripped him at the feet. He shook the vines free, but the damage had already been done.

"Get that Shroomish back with a Rock Tomb!" Roxanne shouted. Instead of banging against the ground like the Geodude, Nosepass tilted its arms upwards and telekinetically moved the stone from before against Glare. "Great! Follow it up with a Tackle!" Before I could even respond, Nosepass was on top of Glare as he squirmed helplessly.

"Use Mega Drain!" Glare used the growing vines to hurdle Nosepass off of his body, and sapped the energy out of him at the same time.

Roxanne's brow tensed. "Tackle, one more time!" Nosepass tilted his arms once more and the vines gave way. He jumped right back on top of Glare. The impact caused some yellow powder to erupt from Glare's head, and Nosepass stiffened.

I grinned. Glare's Effect Spore ability had paralyzed Nosepass! "Finish him off with a Headbutt," I called. Glare slammed his head against Nosepass, and the Nosepass fell flat on its back.

Roxanne held her pokeball out and transformed Nosepass into a beam of light. "So…" she said, sounding a bit surprised. "I lost. It seems that I still have much to learn." A surge of pride burst through me and I couldn't help but smile. "Please accept the official Pokemon League Stone Badge. I wish you the best of luck on your quest." She handed me a red badge with pointed ends.

"Thank you very much, Roxanne," I said, bowing.

"Chiku!" Apollo agreed.

I left the gym with happiness absolutely radiating from me. I was one step closer to the Pokemon League. I could hardly believe it.

"Out of the way! Move it!"

I spotted the rude girl heading out of the Pokemon Center, and a man in a red suit smacked right into her on his way through the city. "Hey, what's the big idea?" she called after him, but it was no use. He had already sped away out of the city.

The scientist I'd met in the forest came jogging behind and shouted after him. "Wait, please! Don't take those parts!" I made eye contact with the girl, and then we both chased after them. At the city limits we caught up with the scientist. When he saw me he breathed sigh of relief. "You're that fantastic trainer who helped me in Petalburg Woods!" he exclaimed. "Help me! I was robbed by Team Magma! I have to get the Devon Parts back! If I don't…" He trailed off. "I'm going to be in serious trouble…"

"Don't even worry about it," I said. "We'll get those parts back."

We ran through Route 116 where I'd met the Taillow, hoping to catch the Team Magma grunt soon. At the end of the route, a large rock formation blocked our path. An old man stood at the mouth of a cave, sobbing. "Peeko! Where are you?!" he cried. Clearly those Devon Parts weren't the only things that Team Magma had stolen.

Upon entering the cave, a spherical purple pokemon with floppy yellow ears jumped on me and screamed. "Holy crap, what is happening?" I yelled as I plugged my ears from its Uproar.

"It's Whismur," the Kanto girl shouted over the noise. "The tunnel is full of them!" She pointed at the high ledges of the cave and I saw purple rabbits everywhere.

"You go on without me," I yelled. "I'll take care of this guy while you take care of Team Magma." The girl nodded and ran past me through the tunnel. I focused my attention to the Whismur. "Okay, little guy. Prepare to join Team Sapphire." I tightened my bow and reached into my bag for a pokeball. "Go, Bandit!" My Zigzagoon landed in a battle stance. "Use Headbutt!" Bandit zig zagged towards the wild Whismur and conked him in the head. The Whismur stopped screaming and fell over fainted. Two Whismur from above hopped down from the ledge and grabbed hold of their brother. They briefly screamed at me, then hopped back up the ledge. "Bandit, I think you hit him a little too hard."

"Zagoo," Bandit replied, as if to say, "Clearly you don't appreciate my strength."

"I don't appreciate your sarcasm," I replied. "Return, Bandit." Bandit beamed back into her pokeball.

"Tochi!" Apollo exclaimed from his usual place on my shoulder.

"I know, I know," I said, "but we gotta go. We can't let them get away."

I jogged through the tunnel and found the girl backed into a corner with two Team Magma grunts holding their pokeballs out. "Hey, come on now guys," she said desperately. "Two against one doesn't sound very nice."

"You like magma?" I shouted. "Apollo, use Ember! Let's see how you like it now!"

"Toh-ku!" A burst of flame erupted from Apollo's beak.

"Go, Poochyena!" A black dog flew out of the pokeball just in time to take the brunt of the blow. He yowled painfully and fell to the ground whimpering. The grunt gasped. "Look what you did to my Poochyena! How could you?"

"Give us those Devon Parts back, or we'll do a lot worse!" I growled.

"Yeah! I've got more fire where that came from," the girl said, referring to her Vulpix.

The grunt returned his Poochyena to its ball. "Fine. You want the Devon Parts? Take them. I need to get my Poochyena to a Center."

"Charlie, you're just going to give 'em up like that?" the other grunt asked. "We have to follow through with our orders."

"Apollo, I'm thinking about another Ember," I said nonchalantly. "What about you?" A fireball heated in my Torchic's beak. "Oh? You agree with me? How about that." I looked back at the Team Magma grunts.

"Okay, okay, take the parts. We give up, I swear!" the tougher grunt shoved a box in my arms and the pair of them ran back out of the cave. After they fled, I noticed a small Wingull shaking in a corner. The Kanto girl slowly picked up the bird and pet it until it stopped shaking. We made our way outside and found the old man.

"Peeko! You found my Peeko! Happy day, oh happy day!" He took the Wingull and hugged it lovingly. "You don't know how much this means to me," he said. "They call me Mr. Briney. What are the names of Peeko's magnificent saviors?"

"I'm Sapphire," I said, "and this is Apollo."

"The name's Leaf," the Kanto girl added.

"Oh, it's so good to meet you, Leaf and Sapphire," Mr. Briney said. "If there's ever a thing I can do to help you in turn, don't you hesitate to tell me. If I'm to be found, it will always be at my cottage by the sea near Petalburg Woods." He turned his attention back towards his Wingull. "Come, Peeko! High time we're under way to home!"

"Pikwee!" Peeko exclaimed.

"We'd better get these parts back to Devon," Leaf said.

I shook my head. "I'll do it. You go crush Roxanne."

Leaf grinned. "She's going down."


	4. Chapter 4

**Posting another seems like a great way to procrastinate on homework.**

 **Disclaimer: Who created pokemon, you ask? Not me.**

* * *

 **To Be The Very Best**

 **Chapter 4**

After a few days of rest in Rustboro City, I realized the miners in Rusturf Tunnel weren't making any progress. Apparently the blockage in the tunnels was too difficult to drill through without disturbing the native pokemon further. If I wanted to travel through more of Hoenn, I needed to find another route.

As I sat in the grass in Route 116, I watched Bandit scrounge around the area. After crawling up and down a tree, she returned with a pokeball. "Good girl." Bandit nuzzled my hand as I stroked her. I lifted my pack to add it to my collection. As I shuffled around the compartments of my bag, a white envelope fell out. Bandit sniffed it and began pawing at me. "Oh yeah I forgot about this."

After thanking me for bringing their company's parts back, the president of Devon himself gave me a task. He wanted me to deliver a message to a man in Dewford Town named Steven. I thought it was an odd way to thank someone by giving them a task, which is probably why I forgot about it. I didn't care much for something that wasn't a real gift, anyways.

"Zagoo," Bandit told me.

I sighed. "I know, I know. I was given a responsibility. I should live up to that." I lifted Bandit's pokeball and returned her. "I hate it when they're right," I muttered to myself, referring to my pokemon.

I left right away to travel back to Route 104. As promised, Mr. Briney was in his cottage along the ocean with his Peeko. I was kind of shy about asking for the favor, but he happily agreed to sail me to Dewford. I sat in the front of his boat while he personally revved up the engine. Peeko flew alongside us as we sped away to the island town. Apollo had evolved into a Combusken and was now too big to perch on my shoulder. Instead he sat on my lap with widespread arms, as if pretending to soar alongside Peeko. I could tell Apollo was jealous of other bird pokemon for having the ability to fly.

When we arrived at the docks of Dewford, I offered to tip Mr. Briney, but he refused. "Anything for you, Sapphire," he assured me. "I'll be here if you need to return to the mainland."

"Thank you!"

"Comboo!" Apollo called.

I searched all around town, but no one seemed to know who this Steven character was. After going door to door, I eventually gave up. "Let's just go train outside the town," I told Apollo. "He's bound to show up eventually." Apollo nodded, and he followed me into Route 106.

By the water's edge, I spotted a man fishing quietly. "Hey!" I called. "Have you heard of a guy called Steven?" The man's concentration did not break. I ran over and put a hand on his shoulder to get his attention. The man jumped, and suddenly a pink heard shaped pokemon jumped out of the water and wriggled away.

"Look what you did! I could have added a Luvdisc to my collection!" he shouted. "You're going to pay for that. Go, Tentacool!" A blue squid splashed into the water.

I pulled out a pokeball. "Get out there, Glare!" A water type pokemon? This would be easy.

The fisherman smirked. "Get that grass type pokemon with an Acid attack!" The squid opened its tiny beak and spit orange ooze onto Glare. Glare shook it off and rebutted with a Mega Drain. The Tentacool wrapped its arms around Glare and squeezed it tightly.

"Shroo!" Glare yelled.

"You can do this, Glare!" I shouted. "This is perfect distance for Headbutt!" Glare bonked the squid in the head with his own, and the Tentacrool's grip slackened.

"Tentacool, return." The fisherman held out his pokeball and returned his pokemon. "Beaten by a child, and one who doesn't understand fishing, at that."

I returned Glare. "What do you mean?"

The man sighed. "You caught me in the middle of the catch of a lifetime," he said. "I've been after a Luvdisc for months. I was going to use it as a pre-wedding gift for my fiancée."

I suddenly felt very guilty. "I'm sorry, I didn't realize how important that was. I've never been fishing before, so I wouldn't know."

"Never?" he exclaimed. "In that case I've got something for you." He reached into his pack and pulled out a rusted fishing pole. "I fished for hours with this thing and never got a bite. You might have better luck, though. It's good enough for a beginner like yourself, anyways."

I took the fishing rod from him and contracted it to fit in my bag. "Thank you, sir." I walked away with Apollo at my side. "I wonder what kind of pokemon this can help me catch," I said to Apollo. I threw it around a few places around the beach, but it was to no avail. Pokemon just didn't seem to be biting today.

At the end of the beach, I found a large cave. I entered, hoping that it reveal some cool rock formations, but when I found an entrance to the deeper end to the cave, caution tape blocked it off. Right when I turned around, a large yellow pokemon with round black hands stopped me from leaving. "Makuhita!" it cried.

"Alright, Flutter," I called as I sent my Nincada out. "Use Cut." Flutter buzzed its wings and hopped up on top of the Makuhita. She slashed back and forth, and I threw my pokeball.

After I caught her, I released her from her pokeball. "Hello, I'm Sapphire," I introduced myself. "What should I call you?" Somehow Beyoncé is what came to mind. "Beyoncé it is."

After grinding my pokemon and upping my skills in the cave, I returned to Dewford Town. Haven given up on finding Steven, I noticed a gym in the town and decided to challenge it.

When I entered the room was completely dark, and I almost turned around thinking it was closed, but then I heard a booming voice over the intercom. "WHO DARES CHALLENGE THE LIKES OF GYM LEADER BRAWLY?"

"Um." I turned my head to face the noise, but I couldn't exactly pinpoint it. I walked forward, using my hands to guide me along the wall.

"FOLLOW MY DARK MAZE, IF YOU SO DARE. MY STUDENTS WILL STOP YOU BEFORE YOU REACH THE _TRUE_ BATTLEZONE!"

"Oh, Lord." I rolled my eyes and moved my hand onto something squishy. Immediately I jumped back. "What was that?!" I exclaimed.

"That would be me." A man in a karate uniform pulled the cord for a lamp over his head. "You won't get past the likes of me. Hooyah!" He stepped back into a battle stance. "Go, Machop!" A blue humanoid pokemon appeared.

"Hah, a baby pokemon?" I said, referring to its small stature. "Nothing Bandit can't handle." My Zigzagoon growled at her opponent. "Bandit, use Headbutt!"

"Dodge and use Low Sweep!" The man jumped in the air and kicked, just as hyped for the battle as his pokemon. Machop crouched below Bandit and kicked her out from under her belly.

"Zagoo!" Bandit flew up and slammed against the ceiling before falling to the ground.

"Bandit!" I cried, but it was no use. She was completely and utterly helpless against the Machop, having fainted on a single hit. "Are you kidding me?" I yelled. "I thought you were strong, but you got out in one kick." I returned Bandit and frowned as I sent out Squirt. "Squirt, get rid of this little demon with Water Pulse!"

Squirt splashed the Machop with a hit of water, and Machop retaliated with another Low Sweep. Squirt flew higher into the air, but was able to slow his velocity by flapping his wings and pointing downwards. He hit the Machop with another Water Pulse, and it fainted.

The man returned his Machop and gave me a nod of approval. "That is a powerful Wingull you have there," he said. "Good luck on your battle with Brawly" He reached up and pulled the string to turn the light off. Once again, I was plunged into complete darkness.

"Let's hope this next battle doesn't reveal any other holes in my pokemon's abilities," I growled.

"Combo…" Apollo replied nervously.

Eventually I reached a platform and the whole gym lit up. I covered my eyes, blinded from the brightness. Treadmills and weight machines lined the room, and a fit man with blue hair stood in the center doing squats. He spotted me and wiped the sweat off his brow. Calmly he walked to the side of the room, and the booming voice returned. "I SEE I HAVE A WORTHY CHALLENGER. SHE CAN PUNCH, BUT CAN SHE KICK?" He backed up from the microphone and stood at the opposite end of the room. "You scared yet?" He pulled down his orange goggles. "Get ready for my Machop!"

"Go get 'em, Glare!" I called. "Use Headbutt!" My Shroomish rand with his tiny green legs towards the Machop and swatted his head against his opponent.

"Chop!" The Machop exclaimed as it held its forehead.

"Karate Chop that sucker," Brawly commanded. Like his apprentice, Brawly mimicked his pokemon's attacks. Machop slammed his hand against Glare's head and Glare jumped away.

"Mega Drain!" I shouted. Vines wrapped up against Machop, and Glare was able to sap its energy away.

Brawly held out his pokeball. "Alright, maybe my Machop didn't cut it, but Makuhita will!"

"Apollo can destroy a Makuhita easily," I bragged. Apollo jumped forward as I returned Glare to his pokeball. "Use Ember." Apollo's flame lit up the room, and the Makuhita wailed from pain.

"Come on, Makuhita," Brawly said as he tightened his fist, "hang in there one more round as you Bulk Up and you can defeat that Combusken." It was too late, however. Apollo was already on top of Makuhita with another Ember, and Brawly's pokemon fainted.

Brawly returned his Makuhita with a red blast of light. "Huh, you made a bigger impression than I expected. I guess you deserve this." He handed me the Knuckle Badge and I placed it in my badge case. "If you want I can let you play with the microphone," he suggested. "I use it to scare the weaklings away."

I laughed nervously. "No, that's okay. Thank you."

He shrugged. "Ah, whatever. Hey, have you checked out Granite Cave? It's full of all these cool rock formations."

I nodded. "Yeah, I actually caught my own Makuhita there."

"It's rad, isn't it?" Brawly said. "My friend Steven rushed over there after I told him about it."

"Steven?" I gasped. "I have a letter to deliver to him. Do you think he's still over there?"

"Knowing him, he'll be there all day." Brawly crossed his arms. "It was cool meeting you. Good luck on your pokemon quest." I left the gym, ready to head over to Granite Cave, but first I had to do something.

I found a patch of thick shrubbery at the edge of Dewford Town and held out a pokeball. I stared at it for a long while before finally opening it. This would be hard. I pressed the button on Bandit's pokeball and she appeared in front of me, still scratched up from her battle.

"Zigzag," Bandit whispered. Apollo looked away.

"I thought you were better than this," I started, a lump forming in my throat. "You were my first pokemon I caught." Bandit looked behind her, hoping I was speaking to another pokemon. I wasn't. "You bring me gifts all the time, and that's sweet, but I don't have time for a pokemon like you anymore."

"Zagoo!" she protested.

"Don't interrupt me!" I shouted. "You're weak! I thought you were strong, but clearly I was wrong. We're done here."

"Zag…"

"Get out of my sight." I turned around and began walking away. Bandit hesitated and started to follow me. I stopped. "What did I say?" Bandit froze. "I said go away." Bandit stepped back and Apollo cooed something at it. "Come on, Apollo," I whispered. "Loser's aren't allowed on my team."

"Busken." Apollo looked back at Bandit one last time before following me back to the Pokemon Center to treat my remaining pokemon.

"…Zagoo."


	5. Chapter 5

**Thank you for the reviews I've been getting, both constructive and complimentary. I will do my best to implement any suggestions while still staying true to my story :)**

* * *

 **To Be The Very Best**

 **Chapter 5**

It was nighttime when I stepped out into Route 106. I headed towards Granite Cave, but before I walked in I hesitated. I was now back to five pokeballs on my belt, and I needed one more to complete the team. I tried fishing one last time. If Steven left the cave while I was busy, I'd see him pass through the entrance anyways.

To my surprise, I got a huge tug immediately. I reeled in my rod, and an orange hopping fish flopped onto land. I pulled out a pokeball and sent out Flutter. "Go weaken that Magikarp with Cut!" I shouted. Flutter buzzed towards the orange floppy fish and slashed him with her pinchers. The Magikarp responded with a splash, which did nothing to harm Flutter. I followed up with a pokeball and caught the bony fish. "Welcome to the team, Hoppy," I said glumly. I returned Flutter to her pokeball.

When I entered Granite Cave, I saw the caution tape from before was gone. I entered through the previously covered hole to the bottom level of the cave. Through the dark tunnel, I found a humanoid figure standing pensively near a wall. "Mm-hmm…" I heard him mutter. As I stepped closer, Apollo drew a flame for me to see. The walls lit up, and in the rock was chiseled a battle between two giant pokemon. Volcanoes erupted under a rocky dinosaur while waves roared under the whale. "So in the ancient world, their primal forms once held this much power…?" the man continued. "The super-ancient pokemon… What terrible strength… But this appearance here… It seems somehow different from Mega Evolution." I coughed. The man turned around to face the light. "Hello?"

"Sapphire," I said quickly. "Are you Steven?"

The man nodded. "Yes. I'm interested in rare stones, so I travel here and there. Today my journey brought me here, but what about you?"

"I actually have a letter for you," I said. My heart twinged as I touched the envelope. Bandit was the one who encouraged me to complete my task, after all.

"Thank you." Steven turned back around to face the art on the wall of the cave. "Tell me something, Sapphire. Do you feel anything in particular when you look up at this wall? A primal world, lost thousands of years in the past… A legendary pokemon of tremendous power became humanity's greatest threat. The terror aroused by that power is clear to see in this ancient artwork." He turned back towards me. My heart beat faster than usual and I took a step closer to Apollo. "But not all power is terrible. Your pokemon are clearly quite capable as well. Looking at you, I think that you have in you what it takes to become a Pokemon League Champion."

My heart skipped a beat. "Y-you do?"

"Good luck to you. I must be going now."

After he left, I stayed behind to stare at the rocky dinosaur on the wall. I placed a hand on a volcano bursting underneath it. "Do you feel that, Apollo?" I asked. My Combusken nodded. Something was radiating from this cave. It was powerful.

I returned to Mr. Briney, who was waiting at the docks as promised. "You all set?" I nodded. "Oh, that reminds me! While you were out, Mr. Stone from Devon called about those parts. He had me sail over and pick them up for delivery. Will you be able to do that for him?"

"Yeah." Wow, another delivery as a thank you? Responsibility was not my idea of a gift. "Where are we headed?"

"Slateport City. Anchors away!" I got in the ship and he sailed me over.

After docking in Route 109, I found a small coffee shop at the beachside. I decided to stop there and rest before entering the town. Inside while ordering, I noticed a few trainers showing off their pokemon. ("I've got a Tentacool!" ; "Oh yeah? Well I just caught myself a Goldeen!") I took a sip of my coffee and smiled at them. I loved to see trainers excited about their pokemon. Of course, none of them had pokemon as special as mine.

"Excuse me, miss. What kind of pokemon is that?" A little boy in an inner tube stroked Apollo's beak.

"That's a Combusken," I replied. "He's my starter. He evolved from this little chicken called a Torchic."

The boy grinned. "Wow, that's so cool! I have a pokemon, too. Want to see?" I nodded. "Go, Azurill!" A tiny blue mouse with a giant orb at the end of its tail appeared.

"Wow, she's adorable!" I exclaimed.

"Thanks!" the boy said. "Want to battle?"

"All day any day," I responded. I pulled out the pokeball of one of my most recent additions. "Go Beyoncé!" My Makuhita appeared from her pokeball and pounded her fists together. "Hit it with a Force Palm." Beyoncé jumped at the Azurill and punched her right across the face.

"Rirule!" the blue mouse yelled.

"Come on, Azurill," the boy called. "Stop that Makuhita with a Charm." The Azurill made a few cute faces at Beyoncé, but they didn't seem to have much of an effect. Beyoncé's tomboyish interests of boxing and karate seemed to nullify the intended blow. After a few more punches from Beyoncé, the Azurill fainted. "Aw, poop," he said. "I wanted to win."

"Don't worry about it," I said to him. He might have only been seven or eight years old. "When you're my age you'll be just as good as me."

Soon I left the coffee shop to enter Slateport City, and I was amazed. To the left was a farmer's market with a sign saying it'd be open every morning. Houses filled the town, and there were two ship ports available. Towards the back was a giant contest hall, which I had never seen before in all my years in Johto.

I made my way to one of the ports, and found a balding man at a desk inside the nearby cabin. He was busy sketching to pinpoint accuracy a ferry. "Are you the delivery girl?" the man asked from behind his sketching. I nodded. "Sorry about that, but you'll have to give those to Captain Stern. He'll be at the museum." I tried not to roll my eyes. Of course the man I needed to deliver the parts to was out.

I left and headed for the Oceanic Museum. It was a large building with beautiful glass windows. I was charged for entering, so I hoped it would be worth the money. The first exhibit was simply a tank full of water. The sign in front described the pattern of light in the water. "You'd think they'd at least put some fish in there or something."

I nodded. "Yeah, it's just a big tank of nothing." I turned to face my fellow costumer, and immediately backed away. The red hoodie with black horns gave away his identity.

"Combusken," Apollo whispered slowly.

"I know," I whispered back. I rushed to another exhibit, but a girl dressed in the same hoodie was there. "Team Magma is everywhere." I ran upstairs hoping I wouldn't be so surrounded in case they attacked. Upstairs several small boats and submarines stood in glass cases. That would be worth a fortune if they got stolen by the Magma grunts.

Behind one of the model ships, I found an old man with a bowler cap. "Are you Captain Stern?" I asked hopefully.

"Yes, Lass. That would be me," he said sweetly. I held out the package for him from Devon. "Oh, thank you for bringing this all this way! Now we can prepare for our expedition at last."

I turned around to get out of the museum before Team Magma did something scary, but I was too late. Two Team Magma grunts snuck up from behind me and the captain and laughed. "Just a moment," one of them chuckled. "We'll be taking those parts."

"Like hell you will!" I exclaimed. "Go, Squirt!"

"Get on out there, Numel!" A small orange camel popped out of his pokeball. "Use Flame Burst!" Numel opened its small round mouth and spit fire. Squirt squawked in pain.

"Get him back with a Water Pulse," I shouted.

"Pekoo!" Squirt spit water from his beak and the Numel fainted.

We returned our pokemon and the next grunt sent out his Zubat. "You incompetent fool!" he screamed at his partner. "I guess I'll have to take care of this one.

"Get ready for dinner, Apollo," I growled. "Use Peck." Apollo hurled himself in the air with his stubby legs and landed on the Zubat with his pointed beak. The Zubat cried and a translucent wave shimmied over Apollo. Apollo landed on his feet, but appeared dizzy and confused. "Apollo, use Scratch." Apollo stumbled forward with his sharp claws out, but fell flat on his face.

"Use Wing Attack!" the Magma grunt called to his pokemon. The Zubat flapped his wings, sending a burst of harsh wind towards Apollo.

"Come on, Apollo," I called. "I know you can do this." Apollo slapped himself and shook his head to wake himself up. He readjusted himself into a battle stance. "Use Scratch!" Apollo jumped up and smacked that Zubat to the ground.

"No! Zubat!" The Magma grunt plucked his Zubat from the ground and cuddled it. "You'll be safe soon." He returned it to his pokeball and sent out his Numel. Just like before, I released Squirt into the fray. In just one Water Pulse, Squirt took down the fiery camel. "No…" He returned Numel to his pokeball. "How could a future ace grunt of Team Magma be defeated?"

"Now here I was wondering how you could be held up in the simple act of seizing a case." A chill went down my spine. This voice wasn't that of a follower. This voice held a quality of power and control. "Do I take it you are being stymied by this child?" A man with red hair and a black cape stepped towards us. He appeared to have permanent wrinkles in the shape of a frown. "Hmm." He place a finger under my chin and held my face up. "Though you are but a child, your eyes tell me of your fierce determination." I dared not correct him that I was in fact a teenager. This was not the time. "My heart is pounding in my chest… Yes, I think I can see why my lowly grunts could not stand one minute against you."

"L-lowly, sir?" the second grunt stammered.

"Do not interrupt me, fool," the man shot back. He looked back at me with an analytical puzzlement in his eyes. "I am called Maxie. I stand as the head of Team Magma, a noble organization whose goal is to propel humanity to even greater heights of progress and evolution. Indeed. And you are one of the young persons who may shape our society's future. Considering that fact, I believe I shall educate you in the ways of the world. The land…" he paused. "It is the stage upon which humanity stands. The land exists so we humans might continue onward and upward, stepping into the future. For us to continue growing and evolving, humans require a grand stage upon which to stand. A land upon which we can stride forward… A land we can explore…develop…exploit… This is the basis for the growth of all human endeavor. That is why we, Team Magma, must increase the landmass of this world!" Maxie brought his hands behind his back into a pose of strength and charisma. "Believe that this will lead to a future of eternal happiness for humanity, and consequently for all life!"

"I don't…" I trailed off. None of it made sense to me. Besides, where would all the water pokemon that relied on the ocean go?

"Hmph. I suppose the concept may still be too difficult for a child to comprehend. Is that the case?" He didn't wait for my response. "At least I have tried to open your mind. I will take my leave for now. I suggest you take care that you never again stand against Team Magma. I will not be so lenient the next time. I implore you to remember that." Maxie turned back to his grunts. "We are done here." The Team Magma members exited the building, and Captain Stern released a sigh of relief.

"Young lady…Ah, Sapphire, is it? That was quite a tense situation!" he gasped. "Thank you for helping me out." He rushed out of the museum to bring his new package to the shipyard.

It was late and I was exhausted from what happened, so I returned to the Slateport City Pokemon Center for the night.


	6. Chapter 6

**What better way to procrastinate on homework than to post another chapter? Enjoy.**

* * *

 **To Be The Very Best**

 **Chapter 6**

I was woken up by the commotion in the city. Trainers rushed out of the Pokemon Center, and I followed them, unsure about the excitement. I was led to the large contest hall at the edge of the city, where a pretty woman and her Altaria were standing. "Hi everybody!" she called in a cutsie voice. "Me and my Altaria, Ali, have come to Slateport City's Contest Spectacular Hall for a bit of fun!" She twirled in her blue dress, and a few spectators mimicked her. "All righty! I'm going to bring another fantastic trainer into the wild world of contesting. The woman searched the crowd, and stopped at me. "You there with the baffled expression on your face!"

"M-me?" I stammered.

"Yes you, silly," she replied. She pulled me in front of the crowd with her. "This is the trainer I'm gonna scout today! Introduce yourself."

"I'm Sapphire," I said shyly to the star struck crowd.

"Sapphire, here is one free Contest Pass. Not only that, but it comes with your own Pokeblock Kit," she handed me these items and returned to addressing the crowd. "Sapphire's story begins today. Now that's what I call a sudden miraculous contest scouting. Goodbye, everyone! Come join me in the contest hall to watch me and Ali take the stage. Afterwards you can buy contest passes and Pokeblock Kits of your own." She twirled again and waved goodbye to the crowd.

"Be my girlfriend, Lisia!" a desperate man called from the crowd. She blew a kiss and winked at him before disappearing into the building. The crowd followed her and I, still baffled, stayed behind to stare at Apollo.

"What just happened?" I asked. Apollo shrugged. He had no idea either. I entered the contest hall and found the apparently famous woman inside.

"Thanks for playing along there, Sapphire," Lisia said. "I hope you will participate in the next contest, though."

I walked over to the entry counter while I glanced at my pokeballs. I never really considered my pokemon to be the artistic type. I held up my new pokemon to the counter. "I'm entering my Magikarp, Hoppy," I said.

Lisia scooted me through the lobby to backstage, where I hesitantly looked at the crowd. I'd never even been in a school play. How was I supposed to make my pokemon perform in front of this?

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Beginners Contest Spectacular!" A fashionable man in a velvet tuxedo waved to the audience from the side of the stage. "All of our entrants, please release your pokemon onto the stage."

"Sapphire." I turned around. "There isn't much time so you have to hurry," Lisia whispered. "Put this on." She gave me a pink tutu and pulled the red ribbon out of my hair. It was almost an exact replica of her own froofie dress.

"Thanks." I barely understood what was happening. Lisia pushed me out onstage in this new ballerina esc look, and I released Hoppy to show the crowd. I could barely see them from the stage lights, but they were loud.

"First up, we have Gary the Gulpin!" A round green slug with a leaf on top of its head trudged up to center stage. "Goopine!" it cried as it posed.

"Our second contestant, Farris the Zigzagoon!" The raccoon pokemon strutted up and down the stage like it was a model on a runway. I wondered if it was really a beginner.

"Third, we have Windy the Wingull!" A Wingull a bit bigger than Squirt did a loop in the air, and a few audience members gasped in amazement. I didn't understand the big deal, though. Squirt could do a loop any day.

"Last but not least, put your hands together for Hoppy the Magikarp!"

I looked down at my feet and saw that Hoppy wasn't moving. I could feel the blood rush to my face. "Come on, Hoppy," I whispered. I grabbed him and heaved him to the front of the stage so the crowd could see. I hoped it didn't look as pathetic as it felt.

"Wow, what an excellent set of pokemon we have here," the fashionable man announced. "Each pokemon will now show off their skills!"

"Skills?" I glanced down at Hoppy. Oh boy.

Gary the Gulpin was probably the best in show. He poured poison bubbles from his mouth and then popped them into a beautiful pink mist. Hoppy performed Splash for the crowd, which surprisingly went over well. At the end of the contest, we were awarded a second place ribbon.

I returned backstage and saw that Lisia was still waiting for me. "Aw, I'm so sorry that you lost," she told me. "Please keep practicing, though. I hope we can perform onstage together one day."

"Pikaaaa!" Lisia was interrupted by an electric mouse scampering towards me. It wore a matching tutu to mine.

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" A young woman with black hair and a salon apron ran to catch up with the Pikachu. "She really liked your performance."

I looked down at the Pikachu, which had started pawing at my leg. "Really?" I asked, fairly doubtful. I still didn't understand this hype about pokemon contests in Hoenn. I didn't realize that pokemon themselves liked to watch it, too. "Your Pikachu's really cute."

"I'm actually a caretaker at the Slateport Pokemon Shelter. She's not mine, or anyone's really," the woman said. "I work together with new trainers to help them find a partner, but Pikachu's never really connected with anyone."

"She seems pretty friendly to me," I said as I knelt down to pet her. Pikachu nuzzled my hand and Apollo tweeted at her.

"Hmm, I wonder…" The woman smiled. "Normally I only give away pokemon to new trainers, but how would you like to keep Pikachu?"

I blinked. "Me? For real?" I looked back at the Pikachu with the cute little tutu on. "Oh, I'd love to."

"She's a very special Pikachu, so take good care of her."

"Of course." I took out a pokeball and pressed the center button to absorb Pikachu. "Welcome to the team, Bluebell."

I replaced Hoppy with Bluebell in my party and then headed to Route 110 to try out my new pokemon. I found a green puppy rustling in the bushes, so I sent my Pikachu out to capture it. "Bluebell, use Quick Attack!" My precious Pikachu leapt into the air and landed on the Electrike. It retaliated with Spark, but instead of wincing in pain, Bluebell seemed to become more confident with power. I threw a pokeball at the Electrike and caught it. "Great job, Blue." I named the Electrike Mantra and then stored it away.

"We gotta get to Mt. Chimney fast! The boss is counting on us." I looked up further into the route and gulped. A whole group of Team Magma grunts were gathered.

"Let's cut through Mauville City." They hurried off and I breathed a sigh of relief. I was worried I'd have to fight them again.

As I continued on, I battled a few trainers. Eventually I found a little cottage with a sign that read _Trick House_. I shrugged. Why not? I opened the door and entered an empty room. It didn't feel empty though…

"Busken…" Apollo warned. I crept in slowly and then dipped my head beneath the table.

"Grrr, I've been caught! How did you know I concealed myself beneath this desk? You are sharp!" A balding man crawled out from under the table. "Behold! For I am the greatest living mystery of a man in all of Hoenn! They call me…" he paused for dramatic effect. "The Trick Master! Glad to meet you."

I laughed nervously. "Oh, yes, about that…"

The eccentric man smiled and leaned forward. "You're here to challenge my Trick House, aren't you? I accept your challenge. Enter through the scroll on the wall to let the challenge commence." The Trick Master pulled a handful of black powder out of his pocket and threw it to the ground. He was encapsulated with smoke, and then he vanished.

I pulled the scroll off the wall and found a much bigger room through a hole in the wall. Trees were everywhere, so I sent Flutter out to cut down the prickly ones in my way. A girl jumped out at me from behind and sent out her Gulpin for a battle.

"Flutter, use Sand Attack!" My Nincada kicked up dust from the ground and sprayed it in Gulpin's eyes. The Gulpin yawned in response, and I saw Flutter become drowsy as well. "Flutter, return. Go, Apollo!"

"Use Sludge!" The other trainer Sally yelled. Gulpin spit purple ooze, but Apollo dodged its attack easily.

"Take that pokemon down with Flame Charge," I said. Apollo spun fire into the air and engulfed its own body in its flame. After it slammed into the Gulpin, Sally returned her pokemon.

"I'm a little lost in this maze," the girl admitted. "Good luck."

After travelling through the maze of trees, I found a tiny scroll hidden on the ground. I read the secret code written aloud. " _Trick Master is wonderful_." I groaned. "Clever."

Eventually I found my way to another secret passageway hidden behind a scroll. The Trick Master was in the next room, and he waved at me. "You made it past my first test," he said. "It took me all night to paint those trees. Come back another day, and I'll trip you up!"

After exiting the house I went left, under the bike path. It was the long way to the next town, but unfortunately I didn't have a bike. When travelling through the grassy path, however, I ran into a friend.

"Saph! So this is where you've been." It was Ruby, cheery as ever. He had the widest smile on his face, and his clothes were muddy from sitting in the wild for research. "I was just checking out the pokemon here to help my dad out. He told me that a long time ago nature was way more diverse and there were lots more kinds of pokemon, too. My dad and I think that if we do enough fieldwork we'll learn more about pokemon from the past. Neat, huh?"

"Yeah, that actually is pretty cool," I said, thinking about the recent discovery of the ancient pokemon Mew. "I never realized research could actually be for something fun."

Ruby laughed. "I know, right? I was pretty skeptical too at first." He pulled out a pokeball. "Running into you reminds me, you love battling, right?" I nodded. "Come on, show me what you and your team has accomplished so far. Go, Shroomish!"

"Come on, Apollo. You can take care of this little guy." My Combusken stepped forward and breathed fire at the petal pokemon.

"Get back at it with Stun Spore!" The Shroomish aimed its head in Apollo's direction and a cloud of yellow powder covered Apollo. "Now, Headbutt!" The Shroomish smacked Apollo across the face before I had a chance to react.

"Take it down with Peck," I commanded. The Shroomish fainted, and Ruby sent out his Marshtomp. "It's your turn, Glare!" My own Shroomish landed in front of the large blue finned pokemon. He used Mega Drain and absorbed Marshtomp's energy. As Marshtomp collapsed, Glare began to glow. It grew in stature and formed into a smile dinosaur-like creature. It had brown petals around its neck, and a green mushroom for a head. Glare had evolved into a Breloom. Next it was Squirt verses Slugma, a fiery slug, but Squirt managed to take it down with a single Water Pulse.

"Woah, not bad!" Ruby said as he returned his last pokemon. "Sheesh, Saph. When did you have time to train your pokemon that well? It's like, I don't know, surprising." Ruby poked through his bag and pulled out a few oran berries. "Here, your team looks pretty wiped out. We can take a short rest before we move on."

We released our pokemon, and they each growled in happiness as they snacked on Ruby's berries. "Thanks, I really appreciate it," I told him.

"So how are you for real though?" he asked as we sat down onto the grass. "Obviously your pokemon are doing great, but this is a pretty big shift from Johto, huh?"

"Yeah," I said slowly. "It is actually." I started thinking about Bandit again. Part of me regretted releasing her back into the wild, but I couldn't go back now.

"You okay?"

I nodded. "Yeah, I'm just thinking about some old friends in Johto," I lied. "My friend Gold started his journey too, and I haven't talked to him in a long time. I kind of miss it." That part was true. I did miss him. I was so excited to see him again at the end of my journey, but that was a long ways away. I would need to defeat the Pokemon League before I'd see him in person again.

Ruby looked up at the clouds above. "I know what you mean," he said. "Although I was really excited to get a new neighbor my age, I had a friend who lived in your house before you. He moved to Lilycove City, so still in Hoenn, but still kind of far. He left a few months before you showed up, and I haven't even called him since. He told me he'd be too busy with his journey to stay friends. I don't get it, though. I love travelling with my pokemon, but that doesn't mean I wouldn't like to still hang out every once and a while."

I looked down at the ground. I felt guilty, having thought the same thing as Ruby's friend when I started my journey. I was determined to go separate ways with Gold when I was planning to start my journey in Johto, and I didn't even want to make friends with Ruby when we'd met. I never thought about how that affected other people.

"Anyways," Ruby stood up. "I'm off. It was good running into you." He gave me a friendly hug, and mounted his bike.

"Bye." I stared at him as he left, wondering how someone could be so nice. I was glad that I kept running into him. Maybe it was okay to have a human friend, too.


	7. Chapter 7

**Enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: Me creator of pokemon? Yeah, sure.e**

* * *

 **To Be The Very Best**

 **Chapter 7**

"So this is Mauville City!" I had just arrived. Instead of a city in regular terms, Mauville was a giant building. I spotted Wally, the pale kid from Petalburg City. "I can't wait to challenge the gym," he exclaimed to his Ralts. He ran off in search for his new badge. I smiled. He seemed happier than when I'd first met him.

After walking through the city for a short while, I found a shop with a sign that read " _Inverse Battles!_ " I shrugged. Why not.

A few interesting looking trainers populated the battle floor. A young man with sweeping blue hair called me over. "Hey, I'm Kyle. You want to fight a few inverse battles?" he asked.

"What's an inverse battle?" I said unsurely.

The man grinned. "Fight me. There's just one catch," he said. "A move that is normally super effective will be not be very effective any more, and vice versa. Are you ready to battle?"

I nodded. "You got it." I didn't quite understand the concept, but it sounded fun. Besides, my pokemon could handle anything. "Go, Squirt!"

"Gupoo!" my Wingull cried.

Kyle gripped his pokeball. "Alright, then. Go, Cacnea!" A spherical cactus with cucumber-like arms appeared from the pokeball. Its face was similar to a jack-o-lantern and it wore a yellow crown on its head. "Use Needle Arm!" Cacnea slammed its spiky arm against Squirt.

"Squirt!" I cried. He was clearly shaken, but after pecking a few needles out he was able to focus again. "Get him with a Water Pulse!" Squirt sprayed the cactus pokemon, but it did not appear to do any damage. That didn't make any sense... In this setting water would be good against grass type, right?

"Needle Arm, one more time!" Kyle called. Cacnea spun into the air and stuck Squirt with a blow that sent him hurdling into the ground. It was a critical hit.

"Squirt?" I gasped, but there was no response. Squirt was out cold. "Return." Shaken up, I rummaged through my bag for another pokeball. "Go get 'em, Glare."

Glare frowned at the sight of the Cacnea and growled quietly to himself. "Mega Drain," I muttered. For sure grass would be good against grass. Vines grew from the ground and captured Cacnea. He responded with another Needle Arm, which drained Glare from much of his energy. "One more Mega Drain!" I shouted, hoping to hit the Cacnea in time. The vines constricted tighter on the pokemon and prevented him from moving. Eventually, his energy was sapped dry and the Cacnea blacked out.

We returned our pokemon, and Kyle released a Kecleon from his pokeball. I found my newest pokeball, and threw Bluebell into the fray. "Use Electro Ball." My Pikachu spun around happily and a yellow charge appeared. The electricity smacked the green Kecleon, who recoiled in damage. Then the Kecleon did something interesting. It grabbed the charge and absorbed its energy.

"That's what's so great about Kecleon," Kyle said as he noticed my amazement. "He can change types depending on the most recent attack used on it." He brought his focus back to the battle. "Use Red Card." Bluebell dizzily stumbled backwards, and suddenly was zapped back up into her pokeball. Another one of my pokeballs shook and Flutter broke loose. "Use Slash!" Kecleon swiped his claws against Flutter. Flutter fought back with a Fury Swipes. I noticed Flutter was tired, so I switched Bluebell back. "Use Slash!"

"Keccho!" Kecleon screamed. With full force he drove a swipe clean across Bluebell's head, and she immediately fainted.

I returned my new pokemon. I could feel the color drain from my face. I was shaking. "Get in there, Apollo," I told my friend. I didn't sound nearly as confident as I'd hoped. Apollo looked at me with concerned eyes, but said nothing. "Use Fire Pledge!" My Combusken engulfed his body in flames and slammed against Kecleon.

Kyle smirked. "Kecleon, use Rest." The Kecleon fell asleep, and all injuries previously sustained melted away. My eyes widened and I clenched my jaw. At least I would have a few turns before it woke up. "Use Sleep Talk."

"Wha—" The Kecleon with his eyes still closed slashed Apollo. _No!_ "Use Peck!" I yelled commands and Apollo, and my precious chicken assisted by kicking up dirt to hamper Kecleon's accuracy. I constantly had Apollo switch moves to stay on top of Kecleon's color change. Finally, with one final Fire Pledge, Kecleon fainted. "Yes!" I high-fived my pokemon, but Kyle chuckled to himself.

"Don't be so sure of yourself. I still have one pokemon left. Go, Grimer!" A purple sludge pokemon appeared in front of me.

I reached back into my back for my Breloom. "Go, Glare! Use Mega Drain!" The overgrown vines slashed at Grimer, leaving him with heavy damage.

"Thunder Punch," Kyle said calmly. Electricity gathered in Grimer's dripping fist, and it extended across Glare's face. After two punches Glare was out cold.

I returned Glare. "Come on, Beyoncé. It's your time to shine." I could tell that Kyle's Grimer was breathing hard, so I did my best to calm myself. "Use Knock Off." Beyoncé charged towards the purple goop at full force, and slammed him across the face. Grimer melted into a puddle, and Kyle returned his pokemon.

"Alright, fine," he said. "I guess you are stronger than me after all."

I exhaled slowly, attempting to process what had just happened. I had never battled someone with pokemon so strong. I didn't understand how that happened. "How did you change the physics of pokemon typing?" I asked.

"It's a special gift from the psychic pokemon Munna," Kyle replied. "It's a pink pig pokemon from another region, but I found one when I was traveling at your age. She helps me alter the battle atmosphere in this building."

I rushed to the Pokemon Center to heal my pokemon. When Nurse Joy was finished, I pulled out the pokeballs of Squirt, Glare, and Bluebell. "I really liked you guys," I whispered so only Apollo next to me could hear, "but you guys just don't cut it." I found the Pokemon Playpen in the hotel section of the Pokemon Center and placed the pokeballs there. I chose not to release them face to face. I couldn't look at another Bandit. Next thing to do was train Hoppy and Mantra before fighting the Mauville City gym.

After battling trainers on Route 117, several of my pokemon evolved. Beyoncé grew into a large Hariyama, and Hoppy finally evolved into the blue dragon called Gyarados. The most mysterious evolution was Flutter, though. She whipped up a cocoon for himself and shape shifted inside. She broke the cocoon from the back and emerged with an appearance similar to a bee with wings that never stopped fluttering. I was ready to leave the cocoon behind, when suddenly it began to hover. It was completely still in the air, yet I could feel a cold spiritual gaze coming from inside.

"H-hello," I stammered. The hovering shell said nothing in return. A small white piece from inside broke off and floated above its head in a circular motion. "Are you a pokemon?" The broken cocoon tilted its body forward and back as if it was nodding. I checked my pokedex, which called it a Shedinja. I wondered how useful it was, as its brown husk appeared to be ready to crumble at the slightest touch. "Welcome to the team, Half Moon." I absorbed the Shedinja into its new pokeball.

I continued through the grass, and rustling inside I found a Zigzagoon. Reluctantly, I caught it and named it Pig Pen. I went back to Mauville to find a few more people to train against.

"Uncle, I'm begging you!" It was Wally with his uncle in front of the gym. "I want to see how much stronger I've become."

Wally's uncle shook his head. "I'm sure you're stronger, but don't you think you're pushing it?"

The boy pouted and turned towards me. "Sapphire! Perfect!" He turned back to his uncle. "If I can beat Sapphire, then you'll let me challenge this gym, okay?"

"Oh, we're battling?" Normally I wouldn't be so hesitant, but this was Wally. I could tell from his uncle that he was a bit shaky when it came to pokemon. I didn't want to make him feel bad for losing, but I also wasn't going to go easy on him. "Go, Mantra!" My green electric dog barked loudly.

"Go, Ralts!" The white psychic pokemon chirped.

"Electric Fang," I commanded. Mantra growled and positioned himself in an attack stance. Electricity built up in his mouth, and he launched himself onto Ralts to take a huge bite. As expected, Ralts fainted.

Wally somberly looked at the ground as he returned his pokemon. "Wow, you really are strong, Sapphire. I wonder if I'll ever be that strong."

"Of course you will be," his uncle encouraged. "All you need is to train more."

The boy bit his lip. "I do want to strong like you, Sapphire," he said. "Is it okay if I call you my r-riv—nevermind." He blushed and looked away. "Goodbye." I waved, and when he was out of sight I sighed.

Next I headed north for Route 111. I found a young trainer nursing her Taillow back to health. "What happened?" I asked.

"It's that family," she said, pointing to a cottage by the pond. "They're too strong. They insist on battling you all at once." _Sounds fun!_ I thought to myself. The pokemon I still had would be strong enough. I found the family and met with the dad first.

I released Mantra into the fray and KO-ed his Taillow and Zigzagoon easily. Next, the mom stepped up to challenge me. "Go, Roselia!" she shouted. A green pokemon with a stem for a body and red and blue roses for hands appeared.

"Mantra, use Electric Fang!" I shouted, keeping consistent with the move that had taken down the previous two pokemon. Mantra snapped his teeth at Roselia, but was easily shaken off.

"Magical Leaf," the woman sang.

"Roh-zey!" Roselia spun like a top and shot razor sharp leaves directly at my dog. They glowed as they sliced at Mantra, causing him to yelp in pain. My Electrike fainted immediately, and I returned him unhappily.

"Apollo," I said, "use Fire Pledge." It was excessive, but my revenge was necessary. Roselia fainted.

A teenage girl about my age challenged me next, though Beyoncé and Apollo managed to defeat her pokemon easily. She started tearing up, and an old woman hunched in the corner of the cottage stood up. "Don't make a sound, Vicki," she said. "I'll take care of this numskull for you. Go, Meditite!" I switched Beyoncé back in. "Use Confusion." The giant puffy pokemon was levitated into the air, and a panicked look grew in Beyoncé's eyes.

"You can get free!" I exclaimed. "Use Vital Throw." Beyoncé shook her large body back and forth until she fell into Meditite. She grabbed the blue monkey and chucked her into the wall. "Follow up with Knock Off!" My Hariyama slapped Meditite across the face, and it fainted.

The old woman returned her pokemon. "Huh. I guess you are strong," she murmured. "Don't let that get to your head," she asserted. "My grandson is much stronger than I am. He's even challenging the Elite Four and is the strongest trainer I know! Try that on for size." I smirked. I liked a tough grandma.

I returned to Mauville to finally challenge that gym. Upon entering the building, I gasped at the electric sparks lining the walls. They extended out into a giant pokeball where a jolly old man stood. His hair was spiked and unkempt, and he wore a yellow jumpsuit under an old Hawaiian shirt. "What have we here? A challenger?" he said. "Then I, Wattson, leader of the Mauville Gym, shall electrify you!" He laughed excitedly and lifted his hand in a peace sign. He released a Voltorb from his pokeball, and I released Half Moon.

"Use Shadow Sneak!" I wasn't expecting much, but the Shedinja's shadow began to grow. It stretched far along the gym until it reached Voltorb's. The Voltorb's eyes widened in fear, and it passed out.

"Alright then," the old man said with hesitation. "Magnemite, I choose you!" A steel ball with a screw in its head and magnets at its side appeared. "Use Thunder Wave!" I winced as the attack geared itself around Half Moon, but it appeared to do nothing. Perhaps it paralyzed her, but it was honestly hard to tell. "Now squash them with Volt Switch!" The Magnemite attempted to electrocute Half Moon, but it was to no avail. She simply continued to stare at the silver pokemon with unmoving black eyes.

"Half Moon," I called, gaining in confidence, "use Thief!" Half Moon moved so fast I could barely see. She appeared in front of the Magnemite and swiped him with the disk over her head, and the Magnemite fainted.

"Go, Magneton!" Three Magnemites magnetically stuck together appeared in the gym. I glanced at my Shedinja. She looked back at me. "Confuse Ray!"

A bright purple ray shot from the Magneton, and the insides of Half Moon began to glow. "Shh-shhh." My Shedinja imploded and left behind a pile of brown dust.

"H-Half Moon?" I called. I had never witnessed anything so shocking. I could not even return her to her pokeball, because there was nothing there to return. I took Beyoncé's pokeball out. "Take care of this."

"Yama!" Beyoncé got into her battle stance and knocked Magneton down. Wattson and I returned our pokemon.

"Ah, fine I lost!" Wattson I exclaimed.

"But, my Shedinja…" I trailed off. "What happened?"

Wattson shrugged. "A Shedinja isn't a pokemon in the same sense as your Hariyama or my Magnemite," he explained. "It is a ghost pokemon, and not like the typing. Any trainer who owns a Shedinja may only own one for a short while. Their time on this earth is fleeting." He handed me a yellow badge. "Here, take this Dynamo Badge. I wish you luck on your quest."

I exited the gym, leaving behind the pokeball of Mantra.


End file.
